Methods of manufacturing stacked semiconductor die assemblies with high efficiency thermal paths

ABSTRACT

Method for packaging a semiconductor die assemblies. In one embodiment, a method is directed to packaging a semiconductor die assembly having a first die and a plurality of second dies arranged in a stack over the first die, wherein the first die has a peripheral region extending laterally outward from the stack of second dies. The method can comprise coupling a thermal transfer structure to the peripheral region of the first die and flowing an underfill material between the second dies. The underfill material is flowed after coupling the thermal transfer structure to the peripheral region of the first die such that the thermal transfer structure limits lateral flow of the underfill material.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/498,321, filed Apr. 26, 2017, which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/330,805, filed Jul. 14, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No.9,691,746, each of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed embodiments relate to semiconductor die assemblies. Inparticular, the present technology relates to stacked semiconductor dieassemblies with highly efficient thermal paths and associated systemsand methods.

BACKGROUND

Packaged semiconductor dies, including memory chips, microprocessorchips, and imager chips, typically include a semiconductor die mountedon a substrate and encased in a plastic protective covering. The dieincludes functional features, such as memory cells, processor circuits,and imager devices, as well as bond pads electrically connected to thefunctional features. The bond pads can be electrically connected toterminals outside the protective covering to allow the die to beconnected to higher level circuitry.

Market pressures continually drive semiconductor manufacturers to reducethe size of die packages to fit within the space constraints ofelectronic devices, while also pressuring them to increase thefunctional capacity of each package to meet operating parameters. Oneapproach for increasing the processing power of a semiconductor packagewithout substantially increasing the surface area covered by the package(i.e., the package's “footprint”) is to vertically stack multiplesemiconductor dies on top of one another in a single package. The diesin such vertically-stacked packages can be interconnected byelectrically coupling the bond pads of the individual dies with the bondpads of adjacent dies using through-silicon vias (TSVs).

A challenge associated with vertically-stacked die packages is that theheat from the individual dies is additive and it is difficult todissipate the aggregated heat generated by the stacked die. Thisincreases the operating temperatures of the individual dies, thejunctions between the dies, and the package as a whole, which can causethe stacked dies to reach temperatures above their maximum operatingtemperatures (Tmax). The problem is also exacerbated as the density ofthe dies in the package increases. Moreover, when devices have differenttypes of dies in the die stack, the maximum operating temperature of thedevice is limited to the die with the lowest maximum operatingtemperature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor dieassembly in accordance with embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 2B is a top plan viewillustrating a method of manufacturing a semiconductor die assembly inaccordance with embodiments of the technology.

FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 2D is a top plan viewillustrating a method of manufacturing a semiconductor die assembly inaccordance with embodiments of the technology.

FIGS. 2E and 2F are cross-sectional views illustrating a method ofmanufacturing a semiconductor die assembly in accordance withembodiments of the technology.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor dieassembly in accordance with embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 4B is a top plan viewillustrating a method of manufacturing a semiconductor die assembly inaccordance with embodiments of the technology.

FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of manufacturinga semiconductor die assembly in accordance with embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 4E is a top plan viewillustrating a method of manufacturing a semiconductor die assembly inaccordance with embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 5B is a top plan view of asemiconductor die assembly in accordance with embodiments of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor die assembly inaccordance with embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor die assembly inaccordance with embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor die assembly inaccordance with embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor die assembly inaccordance with embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a system that includes a semiconductordie assembly configured in accordance with embodiments of the presenttechnology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Specific details of several embodiments of stacked semiconductor dieassemblies with highly efficient thermal paths and associated systemsand methods are described below. The term “semiconductor die” generallyrefers to a die having integrated circuits or components, data storageelements, processing components, and/or other features manufactured onsemiconductor substrates. For example, semiconductor dies can includeintegrated circuit memory and/or logic circuitry. Semiconductor diesand/or other features in semiconductor die packages can be said to be in“thermal contact” with one another if the two structures can exchangeenergy through heat via, for example, conduction, convection and/orradiation. A person skilled in the relevant art will also understandthat the technology may have additional embodiments, and that thetechnology may be practiced without several of the details of theembodiments described below with reference to FIGS. 1-10

As used herein, the terms “vertical,” “lateral,” “upper” and “lower” canrefer to relative directions or positions of features in thesemiconductor die assemblies in view of the orientation shown in theFigures. For example, “upper” or “uppermost” can refer to a featurepositioned closer to the top of a page than another feature. Theseterms, however, should be construed broadly to include semiconductordevices having other orientations, such as inverted or inclinedorientations where top/bottom, over/under, above/below, up/down andleft/right can be interchanged depending on the orientation.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor dieassembly 100 (“assembly 100”) in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent technology. The assembly 100 can include a package supportsubstrate 102, a first semiconductor die 110 mounted to the packagesupport substrate 102, and a plurality of second semiconductor dies 120arranged in a stack 122 at a stacking area, such as a central region oran off-center region, of the first die 110. The first die 110 canfurther include a peripheral region 112 laterally outboard of the seconddies 120 and a thermal transfer structure (TTS) 130 having a firstportion 131 attached to the peripheral region 112 of the first die 110by an adhesive 133 and a second portion 132 covering, enclosing orotherwise over the stack 122 of second dies 120. The adhesive 133, forexample, can be a thermal interface material (“TIM”) or another suitableadhesive. For example, TIMs and other adhesives can includesilicone-based greases, gels, or adhesives that are doped withconductive materials (e.g., carbon nano-tubes, solder materials,diamond-like carbon (DLC), etc.), as well as phase-change materials. Inthe embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the first portion 131 is a base,such as a dam member, that extends at least from the peripheral region112 of the first die 110 to a height at an intermediate elevation of thestack 122 of second dies 120. The second portion 132 is a cover that isattached to the first portion 131 and the uppermost second die 120 bythe adhesive 133. The first portion 131 and second portion 132 togethercan define a casing made from a metal (e.g., copper or aluminum) orother highly thermally conductive materials, and the first and secondportions 131 and 132 together can define a cavity 138 in which the stack122 of second dies 120 are positioned.

The assembly 100 further includes an underfill material 160 between eachof the second dies 120 and between the first die 110 and the bottomsecond die 120. The underfill material 160 can form a fillet 162 thatextends outwardly from the stack 122 of second dies 120 in a regionproximate the first die 110. The assembly 100 is expected to provideenhanced thermal dissipation of heat from the first die 110 and thestack 122 of second dies 120. For example, the TTS 130 can be made froma material with a high thermal conductivity to efficiently transfer heatalong a first path directly from a large portion of the peripheralregion 112 of the first die 110 and along a second path through thesecond dies 120. The first portion 131 of the TTS 130 is attached to alarge percentage of the available area of the peripheral region 112 ofthe first die 110 because the first portion 131 provides a dam thatprevents the fillet 162 of underfill material 160 from covering asignificant percentage of the peripheral region 112. This enhances theefficiency of the first heat path because, compared to devices where theunderfill material is deposited before the first portion 131 is attachedto the peripheral region 112 of the first die 110, more surface area ofthe peripheral region 112 can be covered by the first portion 131 of theTTS 130.

Several embodiments of the assembly 100 shown in FIG. 1 can accordinglyprovide enhanced thermal properties that lower the operatingtemperatures of the individual dies 110, 120 in the assembly 100 suchthat they stay below their designated maximum temperatures (T_(max)).This can be very useful when the assembly 100 is arranged as a hybridmemory cube (HMC) because the first die 110 is generally a largerunderlying logic die and the second dies 120 are generally memory dies,and logic dies typically operate at a much higher power level thanmemory dies (e.g., 5.24 W compared to 0.628 W). The logic die HMCconfiguration generally concentrates a significant amount of heat at theperipheral region 112 of the first die 110. The logic die may also havea higher power density at the peripheral region, resulting in a furtherconcentration of heat and higher temperatures at the peripheral region.As such, by coupling a large percentage of the peripheral region 112 ofthe first die 110 to the highly conductive first portion 131 of the TTS130, the heat can be efficiently removed from the peripheral region 112of the first die.

FIGS. 2A-2F illustrate aspects of a method of manufacturing the assembly100 in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. FIG. 2A isa cross-sectional view and FIG. 2B is a top plan view of a stage ofmanufacturing the assembly 100. Referring to FIG. 2A, the packagesupport substrate 102 is configured to connect the first and second dies110, 120 to external electrical components of higher-level packaging(not shown). For example, the package support substrate 102 can be aninterposer or printed circuit board that includes semiconductorcomponents (e.g., doped silicon wafers or gallium arsenide wafers),non-conductive components (e.g., various ceramic substrates, such asaluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), aluminum nitride (AlN), etc.), and/or conductiveportions (e.g., interconnecting circuitry, TSVs, etc.). In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A, the package support substrate 102 iselectrically coupled to the first die 110 at a first side 103 a of thepackage support substrate 102 via a first plurality of electricalconnectors 104 a and to external circuitry (not shown) at a second side103 b of the package support substrate 102 via a second plurality ofelectrical connectors 104 b (collectively referred to as “the electricalconnectors 104”). The electrical connectors 104 can be solder balls,conductive bumps and pillars, conductive epoxies, and/or other suitableelectrically conductive elements. In various embodiments, the packagesupport substrate 102 can be made from a material with a relatively highthermal conductivity to enhance heat dissipation at the back side of thefirst semiconductor die 110.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the first die 110 can have a largerfootprint than the stacked second dies 120. The first die 110,therefore, includes a mounting region 111 (FIG. 2A) or stacking areawhere the second dies 120 are attached to the first die 110 and theperipheral region 112 extends laterally outward beyond at least one sideof the mounting region 111. The peripheral region 112 is accordinglyoutboard of the second dies 120 (e.g., beyond the length and/or width ofthe second dies 120).

The first and second dies 110, 120 can include various types ofsemiconductor components and functional features, such as dynamicrandom-access memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), flashmemory, other forms of integrated circuit memory, processing circuits,imaging components, and/or other semiconductor features. In variousembodiments, for example, the assembly 100 can be configured as an HMCin which the stacked second dies 120 are DRAM dies or other memory diesthat provide data storage and the first die 110 is a high-speed logicdie that provides memory control (e.g., DRAM control) within the HMC. Inother embodiments, the first and second dies 110 and 120 may includeother semiconductor components and/or the semiconductor components ofthe individual second dies 120 in the stack 122 may differ.

The first and second dies 110, 120 can be rectangular, circular, and/orother suitable shapes and may have various different dimensions. Forexample, the individual second dies 120 can each have a length L₁ ofabout 10-11 mm (e.g., 10.7 mm) and a width of about 8-9 mm (e.g., 8.6mm, 8.7 mm). The first die 110 can have a length L₂ of about 12-13 mm(e.g., 12.67 mm) and a width of about 8-9 mm (e.g., 8.5 mm, 8.6 mm,etc.). In other embodiments, the first and second dies 110 and 120 canhave other suitable dimensions and/or the individual second dies 120 mayhave different dimensions from one another.

The peripheral region 112 (known to those skilled in the art as a“porch” or “shelf”) of the first die 110 can be defined by the relativedimensions of the first and second dies 110 and 120 and the position ofthe stack 122 on a forward-facing surface 114 of the first die 110. Inthe embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the stack 122 is centeredwith respect to the length L₂ of the first die 110 such that theperipheral region 112 extends laterally beyond two opposite sides of thestack 122. For example, if the length L₂ of the first die 110 is about1.0 mm greater than the length L₁ of the second dies 120, the peripheralregion 112 will extend about 0.5 mm beyond either side of the centeredsecond dies 120. The stack 122 may also be centered with respect to thewidth of the first die 110 and, in embodiments where both the width andlength of the first die 110 are greater than those of the centered stack122, the peripheral region 112 may extend around the entire perimeter ofthe second dies 120. In other embodiments, the stack 122 may be offsetwith respect to the forward-facing surface 114 (FIG. 2A) of the firstdie 110 and/or the peripheral region 112 of the first die 110 may extendaround less than the full perimeter of the stack 122. In furtherembodiments, the first and second dies 110 and 120 can be circular, andtherefore the relative diameters of the first and second dies 110 and120 define the peripheral region 112.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the second dies 120 can be electrically coupled toone another in the stack 122 and to the underlying first die 110 by aplurality of electrically conductive elements 124 positioned betweenadjacent dies 110, 120. Although the stack 122 shown in FIG. 1 includeseight second dies 120 electrically coupled together, in otherembodiments the stack 122 can include more or less than eight dies(e.g., 2-4 dies, or at least 9 dies etc.). The electrically conductiveelements 124 can have various suitable structures, such as pillars,columns, studs, bumps, and can be made from copper, nickel, solder(e.g., SnAg-based solder), conductor-filled epoxy, and/or otherelectrically conductive materials. In selected embodiments, for example,the electrically conductive elements 124 can be copper pillars, whereasin other embodiments the electrically conductive elements 124 caninclude more complex structures, such as bump-on-nitride structures.

As further shown in FIG. 2A, the individual second dies 120 can eachinclude a plurality of TSVs 126 aligned on one or both sides withcorresponding electrically conductive elements 124 to provide electricalconnections at opposing sides of the second dies 120. Each TSV 126 caninclude an electrically conductive material (e.g., copper) that passescompletely through the individual second dies 120 and an electricallyinsulative material surrounding the electrically conductive material toelectrically isolate the TSVs 126 from the remainder of the second dies120. Though not shown in FIG. 1, the first die 110 can also include aplurality of TSVs 126 to electrically couple the first die 110 to higherlevel circuitry. Beyond electrical communication, the TSVs 126 and theelectrically conductive elements 124 provide thermal conduits throughwhich heat can be transferred away from the first and second dies 110and 120 (e.g., through the first thermal path). In some embodiments, thedimensions of the electrically conductive elements 124 and/or the TSVs126 can be increased to enhance heat transfer vertically through thestack 122. For example, the individual electrically conductive elements124 can each have a diameter of about 15-30 μm or other suitabledimensions to enhance the thermal pathway through the dies 110, 120. Inother embodiments, the second dies 120 can be electrically coupled toone another and to the first die 110 using other types of electricalconnectors (e.g., wirebonds) that may also provide thermal pathwaysthrough the stack 122.

In various embodiments, the assembly 100 may also include a plurality ofthermally conductive elements 128 (shown in broken lines) positionedinterstitially between the electrically conductive elements 124. Theindividual thermally conductive elements 128 can be at least generallysimilar in structure and composition as that of the electricallyconductive elements 124 (e.g., copper pillars). However, the thermallyconductive elements 128 are not electrically coupled to the TSVs 126 orother electrically active components of the dies 110 and 120, andtherefore do not provide electrical connections between the second dies120. Instead, the thermally conductive elements 128 are electricallyisolated “dumb elements” that increase the overall thermal conductivitythrough the stack 122 to enhance the heat transfer along a first thermalpath. For example, in embodiments where the assembly 100 is configuredas a HMC, the addition of the thermally conductive elements 128 betweenthe electrically conductive elements 124 has been shown to decrease theoperating temperature of the HMC by several degrees (e.g., about 6-7°C.).

FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 2D is a top plan viewillustrating a subsequent stage of a method for manufacturing theassembly 100 after the first portion 131 of the TTS 130 (FIG. 1) hasbeen attached to the first die 110 and the package support substrate102. Referring to FIG. 2C, this embodiment of the first portion 131 hasa foundation 142 (e.g., footing) configured to extend around at least aportion of the first die 110 and a shoulder 144 configured to bepositioned over the peripheral region 112 of the first die 110. Thefirst portion 131 can further include a sidewall 146 that extends to aheight (H₁) relative to the stack 122 of second dies 120. The sidewall146 is also spaced apart from the stack 122 of second dies 120 by a gap(G) such that the shoulder 144 covers a significant percentage of theperipheral region 112 (e.g., coverage area (C)). The foundation 142 canbe attached to the package support substrate 102 by an adhesive 148, andthe shoulder 144 can be attached to the peripheral region 112 of thefirst die 110 by the thermally conductive adhesive 133. The adhesives133 and 148 can be the same adhesive, or they can be different from eachother. The adhesive 133, for example, can be a TIM. As shown in FIG. 2D,the first portion 131 can be a ring that surrounds the first die 110 andthe second dies 120.

FIG. 2E is a cross-sectional view illustrating another stage of themethod of manufacturing the assembly 100 after the underfill material160 has been deposited between the second dies 120 and between the firstdie 110 and the bottom second die 120. The underfill material 160 istypically a flowable material that fills the interstitial spaces betweenthe second dies 120, the electrically conductive elements 124, and thethermally conductive elements 128. The first portion 131 of the TTS 130provides a dam member that inhibits the extent that the fillet 162covers the peripheral region 112 of the first die 110. For example,instead of the fillet 162 spreading laterally over the peripheral region112 as in other devices that attach a thermally conductive member to theperipheral region 112 after depositing the underfill material 160, thefillet 162 extends upwardly along a portion of the sidewall 146. Theunderfill material 160 can be a non-conductive epoxy paste (e.g.,XS8448-171 manufactured by Namics Corporation of Niigata, Japan), acapillary underfill, a non-conductive film, a molded underfill, and/orinclude other suitable electrically-insulative materials. The underfillmaterial 160 can alternatively be a dielectric underfill, such as FP4585manufactured by Henkel of Düsseldorf, Germany. In some embodiments, theunderfill material 160 can be selected based on its thermal conductivityto enhance heat dissipation through the stack 122. The volume ofunderfill material 160 is selected to adequately fill the interstitialspaces such that an excess portion of the underfill material 160 goesinto the gap (G) between the sidewall 146 of the first portion 131 andthe stack 122 of second dies 120 to form the fillet 162. The height(H₁), gap (G), and coverage area (C), are selected to provide a largecoverage area (C) of the peripheral region 112 while also providingsufficient space between the sidewall 146 and the stack 122 of seconddies 120 to accommodate the fillet 162 of underfill material 160.

FIG. 2F is a cross-sectional view illustrating the assembly 100 of FIG.1 after the second portion 132 of the TTS 130 has been attached to thefirst portion 131 to complete the TTS 130. The second portion 132 canhave a top 152 attached to the uppermost second die 120 by the adhesive133, a bottom 154 attached to the first portion 131 by the adhesive 133,and a sidewall 156 pendent from the top 152. The first portion 131 andsecond portion 132 together define the cavity 138 which encases thestack 122 of second dies 120. The TTS 130 of the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 2F is accordingly a thermally conductive casing that providesenhanced heat transfer to remove heat generated by the first die 110 andthe second dies 120. Each of the first portion 131 and the secondportion 132 of the TTS 130 can be made from metal, such as copper oraluminum, such that the TTS 130 has a metal base portion and a metalcover.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the assembly100 in accordance with the present technology. In this embodiment, thefirst portion 131 of the TTS 130 has a sidewall 146 with a height (H₂)that extends to at least approximately the same elevation as the top ofthe uppermost second die 120, and the second portion 132 of the TTS 130has a bottom 154 attached to the top of the sidewall 146. The secondportion 132 accordingly does not have a separate sidewall pendent fromthe top 152. The second portion 132 can be attached to the first portion131 by the adhesive 133.

FIG. 4A is a side cross-sectional view and FIG. 4B is a top plan view ofa semiconductor die assembly 400 at one stage of a manufacturing processin accordance with the present technology. Several features of theassembly 400 are similar to those described above with respect to theassembly 100, and thus like reference numbers refer to like componentsin FIGS. 1-4B. FIG. 4A shows the assembly 400 after an inner casing 430has been attached to the first die 110. The inner casing 430 can includea first support 431 with a first interior surface 433, a second support432 with a second interior surface 434, and a top 435 extending betweenthe first and second supports 431 and 432. The inner casing 430 has acavity 436 that is closed on the sides with the first and secondsupports 431 and 432, but open on the other two sides. The first andsecond supports 431 and 432 can be attached to the peripheral region 112of the first die 110 with the adhesive 133. The top 435 of the innercasing 430 can also be attached to the top of the second die 120 by theadhesive 133. As shown in FIG. 4B, the inner casing 430 can have afootprint similar to the footprint of the first die 110.

FIG. 4C is a side cross-sectional view of the assembly 400 at asubsequent stage of manufacturing after the underfill material 160 hasbeen deposited between the second dies 120 and between the first die 110and the bottom second die 120. Referring back to FIG. 4B, the underfillmaterial can be distributed within the interstitial spaces by flowingthe underfill material through the open sides of the inner casing 430 asshown by arrow F. To enhance the flow of underfill material, theassembly 400 can be inclined at an angle such that gravity pulls theunderfill material 160 through the interstitial spaces within the cavity436.

FIG. 4D is a side cross-sectional view and FIG. 4E is a top plan view ofthe assembly 400 at a subsequent stage of manufacturing. Referring toFIG. 4D, the assembly 400 further includes an outer casing 440 having asidewall 442 with an inner surface 444 and a top 446 that togetherdefine a cavity 448. As shown in FIG. 4E, the inner surface 444 of thesidewall 442 has four sides such that the cavity 448 encloses the firstdie 110, the stack of second dies 120, and the inner casing 430. Asshown in FIG. 4D, the outer casing 440 can be attached to the packagesupport substrate 102 by the adhesive 148 and to the top 435 of theinner casing 430 by the adhesive 133. This embodiment provides a goodthermal interface with the peripheral region 112 of the first die 110 asexplained above and with the sides of the second dies 120 because theunderfill material 160 can have a higher thermal conductivity than avoid in within the casing.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 5B is a top plan view of asemiconductor device assembly 500 (“assembly 500”) in accordance withanother embodiment of the present technology. Like reference numbersrefer to like components throughout FIGS. 1-5B. The assembly 500includes a TTS 530 having a top 532, a sidewall 534 integrally formedwith the top 532, and a cavity 538 defined by the top 532 and thesidewall 534. The TTS 530 is a single-piece casing formed from amaterial having a high thermal conductivity, such as copper or aluminum.The sidewall 534 can have an interior surface 535. In one embodiment asshown in FIG. 5B, the interior surface 535 can have four sidesconfigured to be spaced apart from the stack 122 of second dies 120 suchthat a small gap exists between the second dies 120 and the interiorsurface 535 of the sidewall 534. Referring back to FIG. 5A, the sidewall534 can further include a foundation 536 attached to the package supportsubstrate 102 by the adhesive 148 and a shoulder 537 attached to theperipheral region 112 of the first die 110 by the adhesive 133. Thefoundation 536 can be a footing that has an inner surface 539 spacedlaterally outward from the peripheral region 112 of the first die 110.The TTS 530 can further include an inlet 540 a and an outlet 540 b. Theinlet 540 a can be a first passageway extending through a lower portionof the sidewall 534, and the outlet 540 b can be a second passagewaythat extends through an upper portion of the sidewall 534. Referring toFIG. 5B, the inlet 540 a and the outlet 540 b can be laterally offsetfrom each other, or in other embodiments they can be aligned with eachother across the cavity 538. In other embodiments, the inlet 540 a andoutlet 540 b can extend through the sidewall at approximately the sameelevation. In still other embodiments, the inlet 540 a can be positionedrelatively higher along the sidewall 534 than the outlet 540 b.

The underfill material 160 is injected (I) into the cavity 538 via theinlet 540 a such that the underfill material 160 fills the interstitialspaces between the second dies 120 and between the first die and thebottom second die 120. In one embodiment, the underfill material 160 canbe injected into the cavity 538 until the underfill material 160 flowsout of the outlet 540 b (O). The inlet 540 a and outlet 540 b can besealed by filling these passageways with the underfill material 160, orin other embodiments the exterior openings of the inlet 540 a and outlet540 b can be capped with another material to seal the cavity 538 withinthe TTS 530. As a result, the TTS 530 provides a dam member thateffectively contains the underfill material 160 while also providingcoverage of a large surface area of the peripheral region 112 of thefirst die 110 by the shoulder 537 of the sidewall 534. Moreover, theunderfill material 160 also contacts the sides of the second die 120 toalso enhance the heat transfer laterally away from the second dies 120.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor die assembly 600(“assembly 600”) in accordance with another embodiment of the presenttechnology. Like reference number refer to like components in FIGS. 1-6.The assembly 600 can include a TTS 630 having a top 632 and a sidewall634 having an interior surface 636. The top 632 and the sidewall 634define a cavity 638 configured to receive the first die 110 and thestack 122 of second dies 120. The top 632 can be attached to the uppersecond die 120 by the adhesive 133, and the sidewall 634 can be attachedto the package support substrate 102 by the adhesive 148. The embodimentof the sidewall 634 shown in FIG. 6 does not contact the peripheralregion 112 of the first die 110. In other embodiments, the sidewall 634can have a shoulder adhered to the peripheral region 112 of the firstdie 110 and a foundation adhered to the package support substrate 102 asshown by the shoulder 537 and foundation 536 of the sidewall 534 show inFIG. 5A. The TTS 630 can further include an inlet 640 a and an outlet640 b. In the illustrated embodiment, the inlet 640 a and outlet 640 bare passageways that extend through the top 632 of the TTS 630. In otherembodiments, the inlet 640 a and/or the outlet 640 b can be passagewaysthrough the sidewall 634. Additionally, the embodiment of the TTS 630illustrated in FIG. 6 is a single-piece casing in which the top 632 isformed integrally with the sidewall 634. In other embodiments, the top632 can be a separate component that is attached to the sidewall 634 byan adhesive, such as shown and described with respect to FIG. 3.

The assembly 600 further includes a thermally conductive dielectricliquid 670 in the cavity 638. The dielectric liquid 670 can be injectedinto the cavity 638 (I) via the inlet 640 a. The outlet 640 b canaccordingly provide a vent through which air or other matter can escape(O) from the cavity 638 as the dielectric liquid 670 is injected. Thedielectric liquid 670 can be injected as a liquid and remain in theliquid state within the cavity 638, or it can be injected as a liquidand partially cured to a gel-like substance or fully cured to a solid.Suitable thermally conductive dielectric liquids 670 include, forexample, paraffin fluid and Dowtherm™ manufactured by the Dow ChemicalCompany. Suitable Dowtherm™ heat transfer fluids include Dowtherm A™,Dowtherm G™, Dowtherm Q™ and Dowtherm T™, all of which are manufacturedby the Dow Chemical Company. The dielectric liquid 670 should have aboiling point greater than the maximum operating temperature of theassembly 600 to avoid generating a gas in the cavity. In someembodiments, the dielectric liquid 670 can be selected to cure to asolid or semi-solid material at ambient temperatures, but undergo aphase change to a liquid state at or near maximum operating temperaturesto potentially enhance the heat transfer and provide a steady stateoperating temperature when maximum operating temperatures are reached.

The dielectric liquid 670 can fill the interstitial spaces between thesecond dies 120 and between the first die 110 and the bottom second die120 such that a separate underfill material is not necessarily required.In other embodiments, an underfill material may be deposited between thesecond dies 120 and between the first die 110 and the bottom second die120 before filling the cavity 638 with the dielectric liquid 670. Theunderfill material is generally desirable when the dielectric liquid 670remains in the liquid state to provide structural support for the dies110, 120. However, the underfill material can be eliminated when thedielectric liquid 670 cures to a sufficiently solid state.

In operation, the dielectric liquid 670 contacts not only the peripheralregion 112 of the first die 110, but also the second dies 120 toefficiently transfer heat to the TTS 630. This provides significantlymore surface contact between a material with high thermal conductivityand the dies 110 and 120 compared to devices that use an underfillmaterial and/or have voids between the casing and the dies 110 and 120.In some embodiments, the cavity 638 is completely filled to preventvoids within the TTS 630, and the inlet 640 a and outlet 640 b arecapped to seal the cavity 638. The embodiment of the assembly 600 isexpected to provide highly efficient heat transfer from the first andsecond dies 110 and 120.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the assembly600 in accordance with the present technology. In this embodiment, theinlet 640 a is a passageway extending through a lower portion of thesidewall 634 and the outlet 640 b is a passageway extending through thetop 632. This embodiment provides bottom up filling of the cavity 638,which is expected to mitigate the possible formation of air pocketswithin the cavity 638.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another embodiment of theassembly 600 in accordance with the present technology. In thisembodiment, the TTS 630 is a multi-piece casing having a top component632 and a separate sidewall 634 that are attached to each other by theadhesive 133. The sidewall 634 can be attached to the package supportsubstrate 102 by the adhesive 148, and then the space between theinterior surface 636 of the sidewall 634 and the dies 110 and 120 can befilled with the dielectric liquid 670. The top 632 is then attached tothe sidewall 634 and the upper second die 120 by the adhesive 133. Inmany embodiments, the cavity 638 will have a small void caused by thethickness of the adhesives 133. To avoid having an expandable gas withinthe cavity 638, the top 632 of the TTS 630 can be attached to thesidewall 634 in a vacuum.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor die assembly 900(“assembly 900”) in accordance with another embodiment of the presenttechnology. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 is similar to theembodiment of the assembly 100 illustrated in FIG. 2F, and thereforelike reference numbers refer to like components in FIGS. 1-9. In theassembly 900, the TTS 130 can further include an inlet 910 a and anoutlet 910 b in the second portion 132 of the TTS 130. The inlet 910 aand outlet 910 b are passageways that are exposed to the cavity 138within the TTS 130. The assembly 900 further includes both the underfillmaterial 160 and the dielectric liquid 670 in the cavity 138. Theunderfill material 160 can be deposited as described above withreference to FIG. 2E. The dielectric liquid 670 can be injected into thecavity via the inlet 910 a, and air or excess dielectric liquid 670 canpass out of the cavity 138 via the outlet 910 b. After the cavity 138has been filled with the dielectric liquid 670, the inlet 910 a andoutlet 910 b can be capped or otherwise sealed to seal the cavity 138from the external environment.

Any one of the stacked semiconductor die assemblies described above withreference to FIGS. 1-9 can be incorporated into any of a myriad oflarger and/or more complex systems, a representative example of which issystem 1000 shown schematically in FIG. 10. The system 1000 can includea semiconductor die assembly 1010, a power source 1020, a driver 1030, aprocessor 1040, and/or other subsystems or components 1050. Thesemiconductor die assembly 1010 can include features generally similarto those of the stacked semiconductor die assemblies described above,and can therefore include multiple thermal paths with good coverage ofthe peripheral region 112 of the first die 110 that enhance heatdissipation. The resulting system 1000 can perform any of a wide varietyof functions, such as memory storage, data processing, and/or othersuitable functions. Accordingly, representative systems 1000 caninclude, without limitation, hand-held devices (e.g., mobile phones,tablets, digital readers, and digital audio players), computers, andappliances. Components of the system 1000 may be housed in a single unitor distributed over multiple, interconnected units (e.g., through acommunications network). The components of the system 1000 can alsoinclude remote devices and any of a wide variety of computer readablemedia.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe technology have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but that various modifications may be made without deviating from thedisclosure. For example, although many of the embodiments of thesemiconductor dies assemblies are described with respect to HMCs, inother embodiments the semiconductor die assemblies can be configured asother memory devices or other types of stacked die assemblies. Inaddition, the semiconductor die assemblies illustrated in FIGS. 1-9include a plurality of first semiconductor dies arranged in a stack onthe second semiconductor die. In other embodiments, however, thesemiconductor die assemblies can include one first semiconductor diestacked on one or more of the second semiconductor dies. Certain aspectsof the new technology described in the context of particular embodimentsmay also be combined or eliminated in other embodiments. Moreover,although advantages associated with certain embodiments of the newtechnology have been described in the context of those embodiments,other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages and not allembodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within thescope of the technology. Accordingly, the disclosure and associatedtechnology can encompass other embodiments not expressly shown ordescribed herein.

I/We claim:
 1. A method for packaging a semiconductor die assemblyhaving a first die and a plurality of second dies arranged in a stackand attached to the first die, wherein the first die has a peripheralregion extending laterally outward from the stack of second dies, themethod comprising: positioning at least a portion of a thermal transferstructure at the peripheral region of the first die, wherein the thermaltransfer structure comprises a thermally conductive material; andflowing an underfill material between the second dies after positioningthe thermal transfer structure on the peripheral region of the firstdie, wherein the underfill material has a fillet extending laterallyfrom the stack of second dies, and wherein the lateral extension of theunderfill material is limited by the thermal transfer structure.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the first portion of the thermal transferstructure comprises a sidewall extending to a height of an uppermostsecond die and the second portion of the thermal transfer membercomprises a top.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein: the thermal transferstructure comprises a sidewall, a top integrally formed with thesidewall, a cavity formed by the sidewall and the top, and an inlet; thesidewall has a foundation configured to surround at least a portion ofthe first die and a shoulder configured to be positioned over theperipheral region of the first die; positioning the thermal transferstructure on the peripheral region of the first die comprises attachingthe foundation to a package support substrate and attaching the shoulderto the peripheral region of the die, wherein the stack of second dies isin the cavity; and flowing the underfill material between the seconddies comprises injecting the underfill material into the cavity via theinlet.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the thermal transfer structurefurther comprises an outlet, and wherein the inlet is a first passagewaythrough the top and the outlet is a second passageway through the top.5. The method of claim 3 wherein the thermal transfer structure furthercomprises an outlet, and wherein the inlet and the outlet are laterallyoffset from each other.
 6. The method of claim 3 wherein the underfillmaterial contacts sides of the second dies.
 7. A method for packaging asemiconductor die assembly having a first die and a plurality of seconddies arranged in a stack over the first die, wherein the first die has aperipheral region extending laterally outward from the stack of seconddies, the method comprising: coupling a thermal transfer structure tothe peripheral region of the first die; and flowing an underfillmaterial between the second dies after coupling the thermal transferstructure to the peripheral region of the first die, and wherein thethermal transfer structure limits lateral flow of the underfillmaterial.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein: the thermal transferstructure comprises a metal casing having a sidewall and a top; couplingthe thermal transfer structure to the peripheral region of the first diecomprises attaching a lower portion of the sidewall to the peripheralregion of the first die and attaching the top to an uppermost second dieof the stack of second dies; and flowing the underfill materialcomprises instilling the underfill material between at least thesidewall of the casing and the stack of second dies.
 9. The method ofclaim 7 wherein: the thermal transfer structure comprises a metal casinghaving a sidewall, a top integrally formed with the sidewall, and aninlet, and the sidewall further comprises a foundation configured toextend at least around a portion of the first die and a shoulderconfigured to be positioned over the peripheral region of the first die;coupling the thermal transfer structure to the peripheral region of thefirst die comprises attaching the foundation to a package supportsubstrate and attaching the shoulder to the peripheral region of thefirst die, wherein a thermal interface material is between the shoulderand the peripheral region of the first die; and flowing the underfillmaterial comprises injecting the underfill material into the casingthrough the inlet.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the casing furthercomprises an outlet, and the method further comprises exhausting matterfrom the casing via the exhaust port and plugging the outlet.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the inlet and the outlet extend through thesidewall at substantially the same elevation.
 12. The method of claim10, wherein the inlet and the outlet extend through the sidewall atdifferent elevations.
 13. The method of claim 7 wherein: the thermaltransfer structure comprises a metal casing having the base and aseparate cover, and wherein the base further comprises a foundationconfigured to extend at least around a portion of the first die and ashoulder configured to be positioned over the peripheral region of thefirst die; coupling the thermal transfer structure to the peripheralregion of the first die comprises attaching the foundation of the baseto a package support substrate and attaching the shoulder of the base tothe peripheral region of the first die, wherein a thermal interfacematerial is between the shoulder of the base and the peripheral regionof the first die; and flowing the underfill material comprisesdepositing the underfill material such that it flows between the baseand the stack of second dies.
 14. The method of claim 7 wherein: thethermal transfer structure comprises a casing having a sidewall and atop; the sidewall includes an inlet and an outlet extendingtherethrough; the inlet and the outlet extend through the sidewall atsubstantially the same elevation; and flowing the underfill materialcomprises injecting the underfill material into the casing through theinlet.
 15. The method of claim 7 wherein: the thermal transfer structurecomprises a casing having a sidewall and a top; the sidewall includes aninlet and an outlet extending therethrough; the inlet and the outletextend through the sidewall at different elevations; and flowing theunderfill material comprises injecting the underfill material into thecasing through the inlet.
 16. A method for packaging a semiconductor dieassembly having a first die and a plurality of second dies arranged in astack over the first die, wherein the first die has a peripheral regionextending laterally outward from the stack of second dies, the methodcomprising: coupling at least a portion of a thermal transfer structureto a package support substrate such that the first die and the seconddies are within a cavity of the thermal transfer structure; andinstilling a dielectric liquid in the cavity of the thermal transferstructure, and wherein the dielectric liquid has a high thermalconductivity.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the thermal transferstructure comprises a casing having a sidewall and a top, wherein thesidewall and the top are integrally formed together.
 18. The method ofclaim 16 wherein: the thermal transfer structure comprises a casinghaving a sidewall and a top; the sidewall includes an inlet and anoutlet extending therethrough; the inlet and the outlet extend throughthe sidewall at different elevations; and instilling the dielectricliquid in the cavity of the thermal transfer structure includesinjecting the dielectric liquid into the cavity via the inlet.
 19. Themethod of claim 16 wherein: the thermal transfer structure comprises acasing having a sidewall and a top; the sidewall includes an inlet andan outlet extending therethrough; the inlet and the outlet extendthrough the sidewall at substantially the same elevation; and instillingthe dielectric liquid in the cavity of the thermal transfer structureincludes injecting the dielectric liquid into the cavity via the inlet.